Shoe-shine kits and the like



June 26, 1962 J. J. BEATY SHOE-SHINE-KITS AND THE LIKE Filed June 7, 1961 T 5* -LS 24 n l 27 g5 18 F|gv.2 2\ l 22 \\\\`//////////////,V////{///////// gat 3,040,369 SIEGE-SHINE KITS AND Tim LIKE John I, Beaty, 1526 W. 19Std St., Chicago 43, Ill. Filed June 7, 1961, Ser. No., 115,520 15 Claims., (Cl. JIS- 534) This invention relates to improvements in shoe-shine kits, and the like. The unit hereinafter disclosed is intended primarily for use as a'shoe-shine kit unit, but 1t will be understood that structurally such kit may also be.

which the polish supplied from such can, orfrom some other container, may be conveniently removed from such can or container, and applied to the shoeat selected points for further treatment by the polishing operation. And it is a still further object to incorporate in the unit which thus accommodates the can of polish, and provides the applicator, a polishing surface element, as a part of the unit itself, so that, after applying the polish to the selected areas ot' the shoe, proper polishing operations may be conducted by the same unit as provides a housing for the can of polish, when the unit is not being used.

In connection with the foregoing, it is a further and more specific object of the invention to so design and form the unit that the operation of opening or raising the cover thereof will also act to project the can of polish contained within the unit, to a position such that it can be readily grasped and removed for the intended use of supplying such amount of polish as is desired. This objective is attained by pivoting the cover of the unit t the body of such unit in manner such that the raising of such cover also presses against the can of polish to shift the same endwise of the Iunit. 'I'he floor o-f such unit is f also provided of such contour that such endwise movement of the can causes the can vto rise to the desired position for such grasping operation.

In connection with the foregoing, I have' also provided the surface of the cover of the unit which surface is eX- `posed by such opening operation, with a finish or texture which is well adapted for use as an applicator surface to remove the polish from the can, -and then apply such polish to the desired areas of the shoe.

Conveniently, the polishing surface of the container already referred to, comprises one of the larger, or broader exterior surfaces of the container; and specifically, such A further and important object of the invention is to so design and construct the unit that it may be conveniently formed of plastic or similar material, by a molding 'operation, or other operation suitable for use with such plastic material; and in this connection to design such unit so that very simple molds and molding operations may be used during the manufacture and assembly of the units.

3,040,369 Patented June 26, 1962 l ice FIGURE 1 shows a side face view of a unit embodying s the features of my present invention, looking towards that broad face which is provided with a polishing surface; FIGURE 2 shows -a top or plan View corresponding to FIGURE l; the cover being in closed position; and the unity being provided with slight vserrations to facilitate ready grasp of the unit during the polishing operations;

FIGURE 3 shows a left-hand end View corresponding to FIGURES l and 2;

FIGURE 4 shows a vertical longitudinal central section taken on the lines 4 4 of FIGURES 2 and 3, looking in the directions of the arrows; the cover being shown in closed position, and in section; and in this figure I have shown in outline, a conventional circular can by full "lines, showing how such can is accommodated within the body of the unit when the cover is closed;

FIGURE 5 shows a vertical longitudinal section, taken on the line 5-5 of FIGURE 2, looking in the direction of,

the arrows; .and in this figure the cover is shown in edge View in its vertically raised or rocked position, by full lines, with the shorter lever arm in engagement with the contained can of polish which, in such gure, has just started to move rightwardly under push of the pivoted cover arm;l and in this figure I have also shown, by dash and dot lines, a further rocked position of the cover, with corresponding further rightward shift of the can, with ride of such can upwardly along the oor of the recess far enough to bring the upper portion of the can to a position for convenient grasp by the user, for removal of the can from the unit; and

FIGURE 6 shows a fragmentary inside face view of the pivoted cover element, being a view looking leftwardly in FIGURE 5, at the location shown by the arrows in that figure; and FIGURE 6 shows, by the stippling, the area of the inside surface of such pivoted coverv which may be used as an applicator for applying the polish after the position such that the inside surface of such cover may be conveniently used as such applicator.

The embodiment of the applicator shown in the draw-,t

ing includes a rectangfular block of suitable material,

broad surface against the palm of the hand, and with the ngers and thumb grasped over the opposite longer edges in conventional manner. Conveniently, such grasping should be producedwith the palm of the hand against that broad surface of the unit behind the surface which.,

is shown in FIGURE l-that is,with the palm ofthe hand against the surface Vshown at 11 in FIGURE 3.

The upper and lower edges of the unit areshown as pro-Y vided with slight serrations or finger receiving cross-wise4 extending depressions 12 to facilitate Ygood grasp of the unit when in use.

Such body block is provided with the deep recess or socket 13, open at one ofthe narrow edges, and` withV the floor 14 of such recess curved on a generally circular arc of somewhat more than degrees span. Thus, the

center of such arc lies at or close tothe top edge, viewing,l

the unit as in FIGURES 4 Vand 5. The width of Suchrecess is slightly less than the fullwidth of the unit, and

7 0 sufficient to readily ,accommodate a conventional can offV polish, the diameter of the can also being accommodated within the space between the top and bottom edges when cover has been rocked into can shifting position, and into.

such as plastic, 10, of dimensions and configuration; convenient for grasp by thehand of the user with the- :ap/iones viewed as in such FIGURES 4 and 5, and with provision for proper thickness of the floor portion of the recess, and for the thickness of the cover element, 15. Such cover element comprises an elongated plate, preferably of plastic material, and of width the same as the width of the recess 13, such width being defined as the distance between the edges 16 and 17 of such cover plate (see FiG- URES 2 and 6). Thus, during the opening and closing rocks of such cover element its edges sweep nicely along and over the side surfaces of the recess I3. Such cover element is pivoted to the body element lt by the cross pin 18 which has its ends supported in the opposite walls of the recess. Such pivoting is provided at a point along the length of the cover k15 such that when the cover is rocked into a substantially vertical position, as shown by full lines in FIGURE 5, ample space is left rightwardly of the cover to allow for movement of the contained can of polish, with ride of such can up and along the curved oor of the recess; and by further rock of the cover into the dash and dot line position shown in FIG- URE the lower end of the cover, acting as a lever, pushes rightwardly and also upwardly against the can to raise such can high enough and with projection above theedge of the body element far enough, to enable ready grasp of such can by the user, and removal of the can fully from the recess. By locating the pivot of the cover farther leftward of the unit than `the center of the recess, it is seen that the available space for insertion and removal of the can into and from the recess is materially increased as compared with the size of such space with a centrally located pivotal point; and at the same time, the length of cover, acting as a lever, to the left of such pivotal axis is suiiicient to ensure good engagement with the can at all times during the can shifting and'raising operation. In actuality, the pivotal axis `as shown in the illustrated embodiment, is at substantially one-fourth of the overall length of the cover, from the left-hand end of such cover. 'Ihis proportion produces the desired operations already explained above.

Examination of FIGURES 2, 4 and 5 also shows that the left-hand or shorter end of the cover is bevelled in section, with such bevel facing upwardly when the cover is closed; and that such bevelled end sets firmly against a downwardly facing bevelled shoulder 19 at the lefthand end of the recess, so that when the cover is rocked to closed position such bevelled faces engage each other to exactly position the cover in its closed condition.

In order to accommodate a can of larger size than might otherwise be accommodated within a recessed block of given size, I have provided the cover with a socket 20 on its lower or inside surface, in position to accommodate the upper portion of the can resting on the oor of the recess. It is now noted that such socket 2i) is thus located closer to the pivotal axis than to the righthand end of the recess l13, thus leaving a substantial surface area 21 of the under or inside surface of the cover between such socket 20 and the right-hand end of the cover. Such area 21 conveniently provides an applicator surface by which polish material, dug out of the can when removed from the recess 13 and opened, may be applied to the areas of the shoe to be polished. It is here noted that when the can of polish has been removed from the recess 13, the cover is conveniently rocked well over into the dash and dot position shown in FIGURE 5; and when in such position, such surface area 21 may be conveniently used as above explained, as `an applicator.

To produce the polishing operation I have provided one of the broad surfaces of the block 10, being the surface 2,2 shown by stippling, with a suitable characteristic to render it properly adapted to performance of such polishing operation. This result may be effected, either by application of a proper surfacing directly to the broad area of the block 10, or by securing over such broad area a surface carrier of proper characteristics. Such carrier may comprise, for example, a sheet of fabric impregnated with suitable polishing material, such as a polishing wax or the like; and, in some cases, with impregnation of such sheet with material of moisture retaining characteristics, such as a `glycerine composition. In the showing of FIG- URES l, 2 and 3, I have indicated such surface as cornprising a thin sheet of fabric, with its ends carried over the end portions of the block 16, and set into slotted recesses formed in the ends of the block 10, and secured in such recesses by suitable cementing agent.

When such surface thus comprises a sheet of such fabric or like material, -it may be adhered or cemented to the proximate broad surface of the block 10 over substantially its entire area; or such sheet may be purposely left unconnected to such broad area between the ends of the block 10. In such latter case, such sheet may also be of length to stretch rather tautly between its ends, or it may be allowed to be slack between such secured ends. It is here noted that the broad surface thus provided with the polishing finish, is conveniently shown as slightly concaved towards the observer looking at FIGURE l; such slight concavity being evident from examination of FIG- URE 2 which is a plan view looking down at the top edge shown in FIGURE 1. Accordingly, when the polishing surface comprises a sheet stretched between the opposite ends of the block 1), such sheet, if left un-cemented to the area of the block 10, may flex slightly during the polishing strokes when in use. In FIGURE 2 the sheet is shown as closely conforming to such curvature, whether cemented in such condition, or not.

It Will be understood that when it is desired to open the cover for removal or insertion of the can of polish from or into the recess 13, downward pressure is exerted between the left-hand end `of the cover element 15 and its pivotal point or axis, 18, as indicated by the arrow 25 in FIGURE 4. This will produce counterclockwise rock of the cover `element as shown by the arrows 26 and 27 far enough to allow the right-hand portion of the cover element to be grasped for further rock of the cover into the position yshown by the full lines and by the dash and dot lines, in FIGURE 5. Such an opening operation may of course also be produced when it is desired to use the cover element as an applicator, as already explained.

Examination of FIGURE 3, which is a left-hand end view of the unit, shows that the polishing surface at such end is convex outwardly, instead of being concave outwardly as shown in FIGURE 2, which is a top plan view of the unit. This polishing surface is thus lformed with a contour which is concave in its central portion, and convex in its end portions (both ends being of the contour shown in FIGURE 3). 'In other words, there is a revers-al of contour from convex outwardly in each end portion to concave outwardly in the central portion of the unit. When the' unit, provided with such reversed contour in its polishing surface, is swept back and forth over the contour lof the shoe, w-ith a rocking motion, according to `conventional shining operations, the polishing effect closely simulates that produced by the conventional sweeping of a cloth back and forth, being eld in `conventional manner by the two hands, as it will be found that such cloth, as thus used, presents a surface to [the shoe surface which is of varying contour.

I claim:

l. A kit Iof the classdescribed, including in combination va body element having substantially parallel side faces 'and having end walls and a bottom edge, a semicircular recess within said body element, said recess having substantially parallel side walls proximate to the side faces of the body element, and said recess having a rectangular elongated opening along the top of the body element Eand substantially at the position of the diameter of said recess, a `cover element of width and length to close the recess when said cover element is parallel to the top of lthe body element, a pivotal connection between the cover element and the side walls of the recess with the axis of said pivotal connection normal to the parallel side walls of the recess and spaced from a first defined end of the cover element substantially one-fourth `of the diameter of the recess, stop means connected to the body element Iadjacent to the rst defined end of `the rectangular open-ing 'and extending into lthe path of angular rock of the first defined end of the cover element in cover clos-ing direction, 4and constituted to limit rock of the cover element with respect to the v'body element when said cover element lies substantially on the diameter of the semi-circular recess, said parts being so constituted that rock of the cover element in the recess opening direction causes swing of the first defined end of the cover element downwardly and 4around within the central portion of the recess whereby 1a fiat faced circular edge wall perimeter body of diameter not greater than the radi-al dimension of the recess and supported within the recess with its circular edge wall in contact with the concave floor of the recess is engaged by the first defined end portion of the cover element during rock of said cover element inthe recess opening direction with shift of the body towards and outwardly through the second defined end portion of the rectangular opening.

2. A kit as defined in claim l, wherein the inner surface of the longer end portion of the cover measured from .the pivotal point is exposed when the cover element is rocked into recess opening posi-tion, and wherein said inner surface comprises kan Iapplicator surface.

3. A kit yas defined in claim 2, wherein there is provided a socket in the inner surface of the cover element in position to accommodate the upper portion of the container when the cover element is in recess closing position, and wherein the applicator surface comprises .the inner surface of the longer end portion of the cover element.

4. A kit as defined in claim 1, wherein one o-f the side faces of the body element iis concave `outwardly in its central portion.

5. A kit as defined in claim l, wherein one of the side faces of the body element is surfaced with polishing material.

6. A kit as defined in claim 5, wherein said side face which is surfaced with polishing material is concave outwardly in its central portion.

7. A kit `as defined in claim 5, wherein the surface which is of polishing material comprises a sheet of fiexible material of polishing characteristics.

8. A kit as defined in claim 7, together with means to secure the ends lof :such `sheet of polishing characteristics to the ends of the body element.

9. A kit as defined -in claim 8, wherein the surface of the body element proximate rto such sheet of polishing characteristics is concave towards such sheet in its central portion, and wherein such sheet is adhered to such concave surface.

10. A kit as defined in vclaim 1, wherein one of the side faces of thebody element is convex outwardly in its end portions.

l1. A kit as `defined in claim l0, wherein said side face of the body element which is concave outwardly in its central portion is convex outwardly in at least one of its end portions.

l2. A kit as defined in claim 10, wherein said side face of the body element which is concave outwardly in its 'central portion is convex outwardly in each of its end portions.

13. A kit as defined in claim 1, wherein said Abody element comprises plastic material.

14. A kit as `defined 1in claim l, wherein said cover element comprises plastic material.

15. A kit as Ydefined in claim 14, wherein the body element comprises plastic material.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 871,170 Jones et al. Nev. 19, 1907 1,409,665 Butler Mar. 14, 1922 2,374,346 Habif Apr. 24, 1945 

